The Battle of Billericay was the decisive military defeat that ended the Essex phase of the 1381 Peasants' Revolt.
Key Facts
- Date
- 28 June 1381
- Estimated rebel dead
- 500 Essex men killed
- Horses captured
- 800
- Final survivors' last stand
- Ramsey Abbey; 25 slain
- Rebel fortification
- Trenches and chained carts near Norsey Wood
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the death of Wat Tyler and dispersal of the main rebel army, Essex rebels were summoned under threat of arson to mobilise at Great Baddow and Rettendon. Hundreds gathered north-east of Billericay on 27 June 1381, digging trenches and chaining carts together in preparation for resistance against royal forces.
On 28 June 1381, forces loyal to King Richard II, led by Thomas of Woodstock (Earl of Buckingham) and Sir Thomas Percy, charged and broke the rebel defensive line near Norsey Wood. Some rebels formed a Saxon fighting ring while others fled into the woods, resulting in approximately 500 rebels killed and 800 horses captured.
The surviving rebels failed to rally support at Colchester or Sudbury, encountering hostile royal forces at every turn. A final remnant made a last stand at Ramsey Abbey, where 25 were slain and the rest became outlaws, effectively ending organised Essex resistance during the Peasants' Revolt.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Thomas of Woodstock, Earl of Buckingham, Sir Thomas Percy.
Side B
1 belligerent